Charleston may yet be next home to Gitmo's detainees

Charleston City Paper's Greg Hambrick has done my job for me and has a good roundup of the latest sentiments regarding the potential use of Charleston's navy brig as a new home for the detainees currently at Guantanamo.

The takeaway? Any would-be terrorist escape would have to get through our swamps and gun-toting locals, but it seeming less likely the detainees would all wind up in Charleston, and more likely that they would be spread out across the country.

Good work, Greg. Go read his post.

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Update: In what happens when you work remotly, sometimes two people do the same job. While I was writing this post, Kevin Murphy was writing the same thing but with a bit more commentary -- I thought it had merit and have posted it below:

Obama signed an executive order to close Guantanamo Bay and we applauded because the prison is known as a torture chamber, not a safely removed lockup for terrorists.

But now it’s time to decide where to put the prisoners.

WYFF Channel 4 is reporting that it could be in South Carolina.

South Carolina’s politicians are stomping the notion that terrorists be held in Charleston. This will most likely mirror public opinion. That’s understandable. Who really would want them here, right?

If you consider the security threat, or just the fact that South Carolina tax dollars will help feed the prisoners, the thought is especially distasteful.

It’s important, then, to think of Obama’s inaugural speech, to remember his call for civic responsibility. Are we as United States citizens – and South Carolina residents, a state that enthusiastically supports the War on Terror – expected to extend a helping hand in this situation?

If so, Professor Vinson sees a silver lining.

Closing Guantanamo Bay is a complex issue, but the public and our politicians need to look at the bigger picture. Obama closed Guantanamo and we applauded. Now we need to agree on the next step. If South Carolina becomes the new home to some of the world’s most dangerous men, we need to accept it, tighten security, and move forward.